From CareerJournal.com comes an important article revealing a new trend – Gourmet Coffee Becomes An Unwelcome Office Perk: Of people who drink coffee at work, the percentage that drink the in-house brew dropped to 52% last year from 64% in 2003, according to the National Coffee Association, an industry group. I love that they have surveys for coffee consumption at the office. Is there any topic that isn’t subject to a survey? Nonetheless, I take my coffee seriously and am heartened by this new trend: Many employers are also investing in single-serve machines that make everything from coffee and specialty espresso drinks to hot chocolate and allow employees to brew… Read More
Continue ReadingAvoid Super Candidate Syndrome
Monster provides some great resources for employers including free webinars on timely topics when it comes to hiring. Click here to see a recent presentation or here to see what other scheduled (or completed) webinars on on their docket. The top sources for finding new opportunites as used by candidates are: Family & Friends Job Boards (large) Past Managers & Colleagues Job Boards (niche/speciality) Recruiting/Placement Firms As you are probably aware, many people consistently keep an eye open for new opportunities. So why don’t more people apply to ads? Here is what the researchers discovered were the biggest frustrations for candidates is their search: Vague Job Descriptions Inflated Requirements –… Read More
Continue ReadingA Commission Plan Gone Bad
A couple of weeks ago I posted on a friend’s review experience and now it’s time for a follow up. She relayed to me another experience she had with her manager. Once again, this is an example of what not to do as a sales manger. My friend set the personal goals she wanted to attain so that her territory had a good chance at winning the contest. In fact, she started talking with the rest of the team and they each set their own goals to win (unbeknownst to the manager). On the manager’s weekly conference call, the team found out they had already moved up a place in… Read More
Continue ReadingDistributed Decision Making
We have written much about the flattened org chart that the younger generations subscribe. The extremely veridical, military-like chain-of-command days are waning in the modern work world. The decision-making distribution of authority is having a tremendous impact on slow-to-react companies. I encountered this shift years ago working for a company that was headed up by older managers. My group made a presentation to management to streamline the complex business model we were running. Instead of a near-impossible vertical structure, we recommended distributing the decision process to the different business groups. The approach, which we thought made the most sense in terms of efficiency, was to have managers individually guide each… Read More
Continue ReadingWho To Promote Into Management
CareerJournal.com offers When Managers Neglect To Coach Their Talent which covers a principle we incorporate into our process. “The role of people-managers — who develop talent and create sustained profits for companies — isn’t as valued as it should be,” says Mr. Harter, co-author with Rodd Wagner, also of Gallup, of “12: The Elements of Great Managing.” If it were, he adds, companies wouldn’t promote to management those who succeeded at a prior job but don’t have the foggiest idea about how to motivate people. Blame the top executives who simply grade their managers on their financial results rather than on how well they groom and retain good employees. The… Read More
Continue ReadingImprove Your Google Fu
We’re big fans of Hidden Business Treasures and the great insights they provide. Their latest post provides a tool for searching corporate websites that I was unaware of. Now, I’m no expert when it comes to researching the web, but perhaps you were unaware of this technique: Here€™s the secret. DON€™T wander around the web site €“ instead, search the web site. Atlantic Trust does not have a search tool on their site €“ but Google (and Yahoo and Live.com) do €“ for every web site in the world. For this exercise, go to Google and type in the following: €œhuman resources€ site:www.atlantictrust.com Read the entire post to understand how… Read More
Continue ReadingAd Writing Essentials
Over the past week there have been more articles than I care to count on how to write an effective job ad – none of which are written with sales positions in mind. When it comes to sales, you need to think a bit differently. Let me give you an example – all the articles recommend, in some fashion or another, to collect resumes from candidates via email. Some even suggest that you respond with a thank you even if they are not qualified for the position. Fair enough, but not one mentions to put your phone number in the ad. You’re probably saying, I’m not doing that and having… Read More
Continue ReadingSales People Are Buyers Too!
I enjoy selling and I enjoy buying. Selling more than buying, most days! I find the buyer side of me stopping to observe the seller’s technique and approach when I’m attempting to buy something. In the past week, I have seen the opposite ends of the sales spectrum. Two recent “buy” decisions involved VERY different sales approaches. As you might expect, both situations involved retail sales. The first situation involved a sales person performing a knowledge dump of all the COOL, VERY COOL technology I would be getting. The sales person had NO idea what I was looking for, how I would use the technology or why I came through… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Sales Diploma
From Selling Power’s Daddy, I Want to Be in Sales When I Grow Up: Imagine a world in which sales was regarded on a professional level with engineering and medicine; a world in which your five-year-old said, €œDaddy, I want to be a salesman when I grow up.€ Sound like a dream? It is. This topic has long been of interest to me. Sales is often considered a lesser profession due mainly to the fact that there is a low barrier to entry. If you have a smart phone and a briefcase you can be in sales. The gentleman in this article, Howard Stevens, is out to change that fact. Consider… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series – Proactive Thinking
This week we look at a trait that is important when assessing sales candidates for complex, long sales cycle positions. Proactive or reactive is the difference in this highly valued sales trait. Proactive ThinkingThe ability of a salesperson to evaluate future implications of current decisions and actions. This would include examining the long-range effects of a decision. The ability to mentally create the scenarios and outcomes of situations that could develop from decisions or plans of action. A salesperson with strength in this capacity will tend to evaluate current situations, needs and actions based on how they will change in the future. A salesperson with weakness in this area will tend to… Read More
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